Swinging head presses



Nov. 12, 1957 T. F. sTAczYV swINGING HEAD PRESSES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April l2, 1955 o 4 Il -Illnal r E. m ||.l n Il-; lill-..1 MnJx/l/Yr ,/.7 n I M 1| S), HH mw n l/W /3 2, n g), 7 4 III Vflnnw Erl@ M O w W Nov. lf2, 1957 T. F. sTAcY swINGINGv HEAD PRESSES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 12, 1955 Nv.v1z,1957 T. F'. STACY 2,812,543

SWINGING HEAD PRESSES Filed April 12,'- 1955 4 sheets-sheet 5 Nov. 12, 1957 T. F. sTAcY 2,812,543

swINGING HEAD PREssEs Filed Apil 12, 1955 4 sheets-sheet 4 i 2,812,543 ce Patented Nov. 12 195,7

SWINGING HEAD PRESSES Thomas F. Stacy, Piqua, Ohio, assignor to The French Oil Mill Machinery Company, Piqua, Ohio Application April 12, 1955, Serial No. 500,790

10 Claims. (Cl. 18-16) This invention relates to swinging head presses that are usually hydraulically operated and which are sometimes also referred to as hot plate presses. It is in the nature of an improvement upon my prior Patent #2,692,407, granted October 26, 1954.

In the type of press shown in my said United States patent, the upper mold is moved, after a pressing operation, into a forward or out position, in which its normally lower face is disposed to face forwardly and downwardly for ready access in removing pressed objects andy preparing the mold for another pressing operation.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved and simplemolding press of the swinging head type, with which the upper mold part may be moved into a position in which its lower face is easily accessible between pressing operations; with which the press head and mold part carried thereby may be moved quickly and easily into a readily accessibley position or returned to pressing'position; with which pressure on the head will be uniformly distributed to the frame of the pressduring a pressing operation, and which will be relatively simple, strong, sturdy, compact, durable and inexpensive in construction.

Various other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description of two embodiments of the invention, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out hereinafter in connection with the appended claims.

ln the accompanying drawing:

, Fig. l is a front elevation of a press constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

, Fig.v 3 is a sectional elevation of the same from front to rear, but with the pressing head and the upper mold part in the relative positions occupied between pressing operations; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the upper part of the press, somewhat similar to the upper part of Fig. 3, but showing a modification of the invention. i

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. l Vto 3, the press includes a base 1 having incorporated therein a large, hydraulic ram cylinder 2 in the open top of which a main ram or piston 3 reciprocates. Heavy metal plates 4.are secured to the opposite sides of the base 1 and extend upwardly and from' the base in parallel relation, and at their upper ends are connected by cross members 5 so that `the cross members 5, the side plates 4 and the base 1, together form a basic frame for the press. This type of press is sometimes known as a side plate press. The side plates 4 are secured to the base 1 by screw fasteners 6, and the cross members 5 in the form of tie rods 7 secure the upper ends of the side plates by nuts.

Guided by the side plates and disposed between them is a platen 8 upon which a plate 9 is slidinglyrmounted bymeans of rollers 9a. The plate 9 serves as a support for a lower mold 10. Disposed along the inside face of each'side plate 4 at the top thereof, is a resistance block 11, and the part of the side plate against which the resistance block abuts is provided with a notch having a downwardly facing shoulder `12. The resistance block is somewhat L shaped, with the base of the L fitting into the notch in the side plate and engaged with the shoulder 12, as shown in Fig. 1. This interlittingof the base of each block 11 with the downwardly facing shoulder on the side plate it abuts serves to take up pressure on the resistance blocks during a pressing operation, as will be explained presently. Spacing. bars 13 extend between the resistance blocks at their front and rear, and along their lower edges. i f j Disposed against the underface of the resistance blocks is a pressing head 14 whose upper face abuts against the underfaces of the resistance blocks from front to rear of the latter, and a trunnion 15 passes through the side plates and the pressing head 14 at a point between the front face of the head 14 and the center, from front to rear of the head, so as to serve as a pivot or fulcrum on which the head 14 can rock, with the rear of the head 14 swinging downwardly and forwardly, or rearwardly and upwardly. The resistance blocks` 11 doknot extend for the full distance from front to rear ofthe side plates but have their rear faces approximately alined with the rear faces of the side plates, and extend forwardly nearly to a vertical plane through the axis of the trunnion, and much farther than the middle of the head 14. With this' arrangement the head 14 may be rocked on the trunnion 15, from the position shown in Fig.y 2 to the position shown in Fig. 3, without the-upper face of Vthe head 14 striking the front corner edge of the resistance blocks 11. The upper face of the head14 is provided near its rear, and approximately at the center from side to side, with a lug 16, and a link 17 is-pivoted at one end to the lugy 16 by a pivot pin 18. ,The other end of the link 17 is connected to a pistonf19 that extends outwardly from a hydraulic cylinder 20 which ispivoted on a 'trunnion 21 near the forward end-of the cylinder-p The cylinder 20 is part of a double acting hydraulicr or pneumatic motor having pipes 22 and 23 leading to opposite ends'of the chamber of the cylinder, which would be on opposite sides of the head (not shown) that is provided on the inner end of the piston rod 19. When uid pressure is admitted to the upper end of cylinder-20 through the pipe 22 and the pipe 23 is vented,'the piston rod 19 will be moved downwardly, and :through the link 17, will rock the head 14 from the'Fig. 2 position to the Fig. 3 position, and the cylinder 20 may rock on its pivot 21 to accommodate itself to the rocking movement of the head 14. Then the pipe 22 is vented; and lluid pressure is admitted through pipe 23 to 'the lower end of cylinder 20, the piston rod 19 will be forced upwardly by the fluid pressure in piston 20, and this will rock the head 14 from the Fig. 3 position to the Fig. 2 position, in which the upper face of the head 14 will abut flat against the lower faces of they resistance blocks 11 from front to rear of the latter. `Since the resistance blocks extend from the rear of the head 14 more'.I than half way toward its front, the pressure on the head during a pressing operation will be carried entirely by the resistance blocks 11 and notvby the trunnion 15. f v v If desired, there maybe a slight amount of play or looseness between the trunnion and either the head 14 or side plates 4, so that if there is any inaccuracy in the manufacture of the pressingy head when the head is in the Fig. 2 position, it zwill abut uniformly against the underface of the resistance blocks and will release -the trunnion 15 fromvany substantial pressing pressure. The upper mold section 24 is secured to the lower face of the head 14 so as to move therewith, and when in the inclined position shown in Fig. 3, 'its lower face willibe exposed forwardly anddownwardly for access as usual in the length of the frame, the face of said head adjacent said abutments and said frame having between them sufcient clearance space forwardly of said trunnion to permit said head to rock on said trunnion from its pressing position at against said abutments and an inclined posi tion with its face towards said platen facing forwardly and downwardly, and a fluid operated motor carried by said frame and connected to the rear of said head for rocking the head selectively between its said positions.

5. In a hot plate press having a frame with spaced, parallel side members connected at the ends of the frame, a pressing head adjacent one end of the frame and between the side members thereof, and a platen movable toward and from said head, the combination therewith of a trunnion passing between and supported by said side members and also through said head between the front of the head and at it-s center from front to rear to rockably conne said head to said frame, said frame having resistance abutments at said one end beyond said head and flat against which said head abuts when its lower face is normal to the length of the frame, the face of said head adjacent said abutments and said frame having between them suflicient clearance space forwardly of said trunnion to permit said head to rock on said trunnion from its pressing position at against said abutments and an inclined position with its face towards said platen facing forwardly and downwardly, the front to rear dimension of said abutments that are engaged by said head being greater than half the front to rear dimension of that face of the head which abuts said abutments to relieve the trunnion of the pressing load, and means for causing rocking of said head in both directions between its said positions.

6. In a hot plate press having a frame with spaced, parallel side members connected at the ends of the frame, a pressing head adjacent one end of the frame and between the side members thereof, and a platen movable toward and from said head, the combination therewith of a trunnion passing between and supported by said side members and also through said head .between the front of the head and at its center from front to rear to rockably confine said head to said frame, said frame having resistance abutments at said one end beyond said head and flat against which said head abuts when its lower face is normal to the length of the frame, the face of said head adjacent said abutments and said frame having between them sucient clearance space forwardly of said trunnion to permit said head to rock on said trunnion from its pressing position flat against said abutments and an inclined position with its face towards said platen facing forwardly and downwardly, said trunnion and head having sufcient play to permit the head to engage atly against said abutments when the head is in its pressing position, and means for causing rocking of said head in both directions between its said positions.

7. In a hot plate press having a frame with spaced, parallel side members connected at the ends of the frame, a pressing head adjacent one end of the frame and between the side members thereof, and a platen movable toward and from said head, the combination therewith of a trunnion passing between and supported by said side members and also through said head between the front of the head and at its center from front to rear to rockably confine said head to said frame, said frame having resistance abutments at said one end beyond said head and flat against which said head abuts when its lower face is normal to the length of the frame, the face of said head adjacent said abutments and said frame having between them suicient clearance space forwardly of said trunnion to permit said head to rock on said trunnion from its pressing position ilat against said abutments and an inclined position with its face towards said platen facing forwardly and downwardly, the front to rear dimension of said abutments that are engaged by said head being greater than half the front to rear dimension of that face of the head which abuts said abutments to relieve the trunnion of the pressing load, said trunnion and head having sufficient play to permit the head to engage flatly against said abutments when the head is in its pressing position, and means for causing rocking of said head in both directions between its said positions.

8. In a swinging head press of the type in which a pressing platen is moved toward and from a pressing head, that improvement which comprises a frame having abutments near one end thereof, a head disposed below but near said abutments, a trunnion carried by said frame and extending in a direction from side to side thereof and rockably mounting said head thereon, said trunnion passing through that portion of said head between the front of the head and its median point from front to rear, and mounting the head to engage said abutments evenly in a direction from front to rear when in a pressing position, and to swing its rear part downwardly and forwardly into an inclined position to provide easy access to its under face between pressing operations, and means connected to said head to move it between said positions.

9. In a swinging head press of the type in which a pressing platen is moved toward and from a pressing head, that improvement which comprises a frame having abutments near one end thereof, a head disposed below but near said abutments, a trunnion carried by said frame and extending in a direction from side to side thereof and rockably mounting said head thereon, said trunnion passing through that portion of said head between the front of the head and its median point from front to rear, and mounting the head to engage said abutments evenly in a direction from front to rear when in a pressing position, and to swing its rear part downwardly and forwardly into an inclined position to provide easy access to its under face between pressing operations, and a power operated motor mounted on said frame and coupled to the rear part of said head to swing the head selectively between its said positions.

l0. In a swinging head press of the type in which a pressing platen is moved toward and from a pressing head, that improvement which comprises a frame having abutments near one end thereof, a head disposed below but near said abutments, a trunnion carried by said frame and extending in a direction from side to side thereof and rockably mounting said head thereon, said trunnion passing through that portion of said head between the front of the head and its median point from front to rear and mounting the head to engage said abutments evenly in a direction from front to rear when in a pressing position, and to swing its rear part downwardly and forwardly into an inclined position to provide easy access to its under face between pressing operations, the contact between said abutments and said head extending more than one-half the distance between the front and rear margins of said head, and means connected to said head to move it between said positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS 1,805,275 Bishop May 12, 1931 2,692,407 Stacy Oct. 26, 1954 

